Mechanical feeding device



' (No Model.)

A GONKLING V MECHANICAL FEEDING DEVICE.

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UNITE STATES ATENT OFFICE.

ALLEN CONKLING, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

MECHANICAL FEEDING DEVICE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 479,630, dated July 26,1892.

Application filed December 29, 1891. $eria1No. 416,415. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern: which the material to be operated uponpasses Be it known that I, ALLEN CONKLING, a between said T0118. Inpaper-Working ma:- citizen of the United States, residing t Ol ichi nery these r o11s cap groper-1 be denoml- 55 said material to the machine.

At the inner end of the bed there is an extension F, which in Fig. 5 issimply a plate of metal properly secured to the bed and curved toconform more or less to the upper one of any two rollers of a machine towhich the invention is applied. In Fig. 1 the extension F comprisesbrackets secured in a proper manner to the inner end of the bed, saidbrackets being either curved or straight and carrying a roller F, aroundwhich the apron 0 passes. Other rollers, as F may be placed at desiredpositions to contact with the apron and guide or reduce the friction ofthe same against fixed parts of the attachment. A belt-driving roller Gis arranged across the bed and takes its hearings in an adjustable orsliding boX H, against which a screw or bolt H bears, so that by the useat each side of the framework .D of such adjustable bearings the tensionof the apron-feed may be maintained, so that by communicating a rotarymotionto roll G, which may be either constant or intermittent, the apronwill advance toward the primary rolls A B on one side of the bed andretreat from said rolls upon the other.

Let I represent the real or assumed powershaft of the machine to whichthe attachment is applied, and I, dotted lines, indicates a pulley onsaid" shaft, or it may be a sprocketwheel. fixed upon one end of theshaft of the roller G, and: a band, belt, or sprocket-chain I dottedlines, Fig.1, will carry motion from. the shaft I to the roller G. Anyother convenient motive connection may be employed.

In. some class of machines working upon certain-material it may beadvisable to employ a. surface roller J, Fig. 5, in order to maintainthe material in aflat smooth condition upon the apron as it moves,carrying In such case the roll J may be journaled in links J, pivoted tothe bed or framework outside of the roll, as at J or any other suitableconnection of the roll may be employed, so long as such connection keepsthe roll J parallel with the periphery of the roll G to insure astraight feeding and permits the roll J to bear movably upon the apronor the material thereon.v

This movability of the roll J is a. motion in addition to its rotarymotion and in a direction to and from the apron.

It has been found in. the case of mangles very advantageous to employsuch a roller, as it insures straight feeding of the material and keepsthe materialfor example, napkins-fiat upon the apron.

In feeding wide material-such as textile fabricsinto the primaryfeed-rolls of a machine there is more or less danger that the hands ofthe operator may be injured by being drawn between the rolls, because itis necessary to straighten the leading edge just at the instant itenters the bite of the roll. Now by using the roller J the leading edgeof the goods may be fed very closely, as even if the hands come incontact with said roller A. similar pulley or sprocket I is 3'ianadjusting screw or bolt, of which there no danger results, andtherefore the goods may be introduced in a satisfactory manner, and evenif such edge is introduced certain portions of the goods may beretarded, while the action of the apron F and the roller J assists instraightening and smoothing the goods preparatory to their guidance intothe preliminary feed-roll. The goods, if entered with the front edgeconcave or otherwise disposed in a straight line, are more than liableto issue from the machine with wrinkles. This imperfection isobliterated by the use of the attachment when provided with a roller, sothat in some instances it is preferable to providesuch a roller. In ause of this mechanical feeding device for feeding some materials theroller J may be omitted, and the apparatus will appear as shown in Fig.1.

I have heretofore mentioned that the extensionF, when of plate form, isslightly curved, as shown in Fig. 5; but that the brackets shown in Fig.1 were either curved or strai. It will be noted that in both cases theupper portion of the apron is in contact withand con-.- forms to thecurvature of the roll B; This will occur whether the brackets F bestraight or curved, because they may be located beyond the bearingportions of the roll'B and the apron C.

At K, dotted lines, Fig. 1, I1 haveillustrated' may be one in each sideframe D, arranged to bear. against the frame A. The trunnions It willalso be seen that not only can an upward adjustment Ebe accomplished,but that an inward move-' ;ment of the attachment may be caused by theadjusting devices described, the former by the screws A and the latterbythe screws These last screws may be omitted and the flange D of the sideframe on each side'of :the attachment may run in grooves AZdotted.lines, Fig. 1, formed on the inner faces of the brackets A the curvatureof the framework or its flanges being such that an upward movement ofthe attachment by the screw A 'will move its inner end inwardly as itsrises. This curvature of the apron in its contact with the roller givesseveral important advantages. It

insures absolute, practically speaking, equality andsamenessofsurfacefeed with that of theroller, smooth disposition of the goodsagainst the roller, square presentation of the goods to and into thebite of the rollers, assists in driving the apron, and produces avuniform movement throughout its entire upper portion, which carries thegoods, audit continues the positive control of the material beingfed upto the transfer of that control to the primary rolls of the machineitself.

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By the means of adjustment provided-the tension of the apron can becontrolled independently of the amount of its surface contact with theroll, and so, too, the said surface contact can be limited or extendedwith relation to the periphery of the primary roll independently of thetension of the apron. In this manner the mechanical feed may bethoroughly tempered to any peculiarities existing in the material to beoperated upon.

Operators of machinery intended for treating textile fabrics, paper,cloth, leather, sheet metal, or plastics and familiar with the peculiarcharacteristics of each of these materials can readily adjust thismechanical feed to the necessities of the case.

What I claim is 1. The combination, with a primary feedroll and itssupporting mechanism, of an endless apron having its supportingmechanism mounted independently of that of said feed-- roll and adaptedto support the apron with relation to the feed-roll with variablesurface contact, the apron-guiding devices remaining relativelyunchanged, substantially as specified.

2. The combination, with a primary feedroll, of an endless apron havingoppositelylocated apron supporting and guiding mechanisms, and aframework for supporting said apron and its said mechanisms mountedadjustable to and from and independently of the said feed-roller,substantially as specified.

3. The combination, with a primary feedroll, of an endless apron,oppositely-located apron guiding and directing mechanisms, a frameworkfor supporting said mechanisms, and means for adjusting said frameworktoward and along the active surface of said feed-roll, substantially asspecified.

4. The combination, with a roll and an endless apron and with its movingand guiding mechanisms, of a framework'for the support and operation ofsaid mechanisms, said framework being mounted for bodily and pivotalmovement, substantially as specified.

5. The combination,,with a feed-roll or its equivalent and with anendless apron and of means 'for supporting said apron with one endhigher than the other, of a pivoted framework, adjustable bearings forthe pivots, and means for changing the position of the framework withrelation to its points of support, substantially as specified.

6. The combination, with a pair of feed-rolls, of a bed adapted to beprojected between said rolls, an endless apron mounted on the bed, withone end higher than the other, and means for simultaneously supportingand moving the bed inwardly and upwardly, substantially as specified.

7. The combination of a feed-roll and an endless apron mounted on amovable apronsupporting bed having a curved extension, which said apronsurrounds, and means for moving the bed inwardly and upwardly withrelation to the feed-roll, as set forth.

8. The combination, with a feed-roll and an endless apron, of the bedhaving acurved extension at one end and a roller for supporting theapron and means for adjusting the bearings of said roller at the otherend, a framework for supporting said bed, and means for moving theframework simultaneously upward and inward, substantiallyas specified.

9. The combination, with a feed-roll-and'an endless apron, of a bedterminating with an ex-' tension and provided with an apron tighteningand carrying roller, and a framework adapted by adjusting devices forupward and inward movement toward said roll, substantially as specified.

1 O. The combination, with a feed-roll and an endless apron, of abedhaving suitable apron supporting and moving devices and a frameworkmounted for upward and inward movement toward said roll and having atie-bar and rod, substantially as specified.

11. The combination, with the primary feedrolls of the machine and anendless apron, of a bed having apron supporting and moving devicesmounted independently of a feed-roll and means for changing the verticaland longitudinal position of the bed with relation to the said primaryrolls of a machine, substan- -tially as specified.

'bed, as E, terminatingat one end in a bent plate and provided at ornear its other .end

with a roller, as G, and with a roller, as J, movably connected with thebed outside of the point of contact of the rollerJ with the apron,substantially as specified.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

ALLEN GONKLING. Witnesses: FRED G. BUSH, GEORGE C. ROBERTS.

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